A nanny for newborns takes care of a mother with postpartum depression and her child. Against her own rules, she finds herself getting attached to the baby.

In a dystopian society, a young widow is placed in a holding facility to spend her days learning home economics until she's chosen to be the wife of a new man.

Protagonist Walter Brickman strains against the protective bounds set by his daughter Barbara, who has cared for him and monitored his obsessive tendencies since his suicide attempt following the death of his wife. He works on his garden relentlessly, going through the motions of family life whilst confiding in a secret friend, finally triumphing as he escapes his daughter’s admonition and makes it to the fair to see his tomatoes have won first prize.

After a funeral, a married woman accepts a ride from a stranger. As the day progresses, it becomes clear that there is attraction between the two of them.